


From Con to Man

by satbiym



Series: Catch Me If You Can: From Con to Man [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Catch Me If You Can, Con Artist Yuuri Katsuki, Criminal Yuuri Katsuki, FBI Agent Victor Nikiforov, FBI Agent Yuri Plisetsky, Inspired by White Collar, M/M, Magician Yuuri Katsuki, Writer Victor Nikiforov
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 13:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18500026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satbiym/pseuds/satbiym
Summary: “I have a deal for you…”With an attractive proposition, Con-Artist Katsuki Yuuri breezes back into FBI Agent, Victor Nikiforov's life, disturbing the established cat-mouse status quo and becoming more essential to his life than ever before.But can a con be trusted with upholding the law?... Or, for that matter, Victor's heart?Part of a series written for the Isekai Zine.





	From Con to Man

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!!!
> 
> I have been meaning to write a con-artist AU for _a while_ now and was delighted when [Isekai Zine](https://isekaiyoizine.tumblr.com/) gave me the excuse to do so!
> 
> The zine contains Yuuri and Victor's first meeting in this AU, but don't worry, you will still be able to understand this fic without that fic. But if anything is unclear, feel free to give me a holler <3
> 
> Inspired by the book/movie Catch Me if You Can, and the TV show White Collar, I hope you will all enjoy my exploration of this what-if. 
> 
> Happy Reading!

_“I have a deal for you.”_

Victor waited out the man, whose brightness was not dimmed even by the shackles on his limbs and the indignity of a bright orange jumpsuit.

His patience was rewarded when, after a beat of silence, the other man burst out, “Fit me with a tracker, give me a bloodhound that tracks my every move, _I don’t care_. I want out and I’ll do anything, even be a criminal informant for the FBI and pledge allegiance to those ugly suits that you all wear. Do we have a deal?”

Victor didn’t even blink, used to the quicksilver pace at which _his_ mind worked; having prepared his whole adult life to always remaining one step ahead, had done wonders for Victor’s nerves.

“I think the point of it is to pledge allegiance to the FBI and not the ugly suits,” Victor said wryly, amused despite himself.

The other man’s eyes flashed with a familiar gleam, and he opened his mouth, lips that had once broken hearts all around the world lovingly caressing his words, “Ah, but criminals like me are more familiar with crimes against fashion than with anything to do with fealty to the FBI.”

Ah.

Right.

The man in front of him, despite his blythe charm and pretty eyes, was a criminal, and the cleverest one there was...

But despite their shared history and predetermined cat-and-mouse roles, Victor had never quite managed to break the nasty habit of not seeing man in front of him as anything other than a criminal, but…that was what he was.

“You really think they’re going to let _Eros,_ the most infamous con-artist there ever was, the man who got away with stealing billions of dollars - most of which _still_ haven’t been recovered - outside? My my, you really are a dreamer, Eros.” Victor drawled lazily, trying not to show how rattled he was on the inside at the reminder of the situation. Trust him to keep Victor on his toes.

The other man cocked his head and smiling sweetly, like they were meeting for a first date at a dog cafe and not in the tightest white-collar prison facility in the country, said, “If it’s the first and only person to have ever successfully captured Eros making the request, I can’t see why not. And anyway, what’s with this whole _Eros_ business; I thought we knew each other better than that, _na, Victor?_ ”

Victor could feel blood rush to his ears as the prison around him faded from existence, heart beating a familiar rhythm he hadn’t felt in a long, long time, ever since h- _Yuuri_ had been sent to prison.

Ever since _Victor_ had put him there.

Victor took a deep breath and decided.

* * *

When Victor was 7 years old he set out on the non-trivial and arduous journey of attempting to quantify and classify every phenomenon in the world, a quest that was very much still ongoing.

Of con-artists he knew this:

  1. Con-artists were masters of trust
  2. They targeted the vulnerable
  3. They used psychological tricks like frequently saying a victim’s name and mimicking the victim’s posture to build familiarity
  4. They were great talkers
  5. Cons weren’t afraid to show their “vulnerable side” to their victims to quickly establish an emotional relationship
  6. Con-artists would intentionally let victims win only to later take advantage of their resulting overconfidence
  7. Con-artists started small and would then proceed to, inch by inch, ask for more, until the victim was left with nothing
  8. Con-artists dressed the part
  9. Con-artists often relied on a victim’s insecurities and fear of being embarrassed
  10. Yuuri Katsuki was counted among the best and most successful cons that had ever lived.



_And yet…_

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed that!
> 
> I would love to engage with you in the comments or you can find me on [Tumblr](http://satbiym.tumblr.com), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/satbiym),[Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/satbiym) or even Discord if you're so inclined.
> 
> See you next time!


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